Run the Trap

A Look at the Dirty South's Take on EDM

By Nick Bradley

 Atlanta has long been one of the South’s primary musical hotspots. From the blues to hip-hop, this southern metropolis has fostered a broad range of some of music’s most influential genres.Now, the recent boom of electronic dance music (EDM) in the United States has given rise to the South’s dirtynew sound: real trap shit.Trap music is a hybrid genre, a volatile mix of European house synthesizers, dubstep’s wobbly sub-bass and Dirty South hip-hop’s hard edge. It’s hip-hop’s new face for the electronic era, and it sounds a lot like you might expect.Low-down bass booms under the rattle of triplet snare drum patterns and rolling hi-hats, while punchy synth lines and gunshot/cash register/hawk scream sound effects deck out the upper end of trap’s sound. And although much of trap’s vanguard prefers well-designed synths to lyrics, it’s not uncommon for a witty wordsmith to lay down his rhymes over a hard-hitting trap beat.“The trap” is a place, but it’s not one you could find on a map. The term describes the snare-like nature of inner-city communities, where hip-hop and now trap music were born. The sound is a product of a rough life on the street, dealing drugs and trying to get by.“I think the ‘trap’ term came from Atlanta,” said DJ Scream, a prolific trap producer, in an interview with LiveMixtapes TV. “The old heads will tell you, ‘you in the trap, man, you hustling. You might make some money, but you in the trap.’ You gonna get shot at, killed. Your partner gonna come get you, your enemy gonna come get you, the po-po gonna come get you. It’s just that — you trapped.”Early influences in the trap game are names the average listener will most likely remember from their middle school years: Three 6 Mafia, TI, Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skhxizRYxpsTrap music takes much of its sound — and attitude — from Dirty South hip-hop. It incorporates similar rhythmic elements and, most notably, samples from the Roland TR-808 drum machine.The “808” sound was developed mostly out of necessity, as the TR-808 was one of the least expensive drum machines available at the birth of hip-hop. The 808 was also popular for its ability to produce exceptionally low bass drum frequencies.Although the term “trap” first referred to Dirty South hip-hop, it has come to embrace a broader spectrum of music — one that has derived significant influence from the growing EDM scene.Trap music embraces the heavy, oscillated sub-bass that DJs like Skream and Rusko developed in the United Kingdom in the early 2000s. In much the same way that dubstep utilizes sub-bass rhythms to create a half-time rhythmic feel, trap DJs such as Taku often supplement 808 drum lines with bass counter-rhythms.But where hip-hop mixtapes might stop at relatively simple instrumentals, trap music embraces European electro-house and trance’s penchant for well-crafted synthesizers. The variety of synth sound in trap music is immense and depends entirely on the styling of the producer.Computer technology has opened the floodgates to an almost infinite number of sounds a DJ can make, and producers are taking the opportunity to create their own unique brand of trap music.While trap music began as a Dirty South phenomenon, it has begun to spread across the country – and even the globe. Everywhere it goes, the trap sound blends with the dominant style of electronic or hip-hop music and develops just a little more.In San Francisco, trap picked up a touch of the Bay Area’s “hyphy” sound, which was popularized by Tyga on his track “Rack City.”In Tokyo, DJ duo Watapachi has added elements of Japanese house music to give their trap music an international flair.The most important ingredient in the double cup that is trap music isn’t musical at all — it’s the Internet. Websites such as SoundCloud and LiveMixtapes.com have given up-and-coming producers the ability to share their work with a world of listeners without landing a record deal or having their work played on the radio.More importantly, the Internet has given pro-ducers the chance to interact and collaborate with producers of all styles. This, of course, suits trap’s blended style perfectly.If trap music sounds like something you might get down to, here’s some required listening that’ll give you a cross-section of the trap spectrum:“Original Don (Flosstradamus Remix)” — Major Lazer[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/33916777" params="color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]“Scaley” — gLAdiator[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/61155796" params="color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]“SPEND IT” — MAYHEM x ANTISERUM[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/67291979" params="color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]“Trap Shit V16” — UZ[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/92565749" params="color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]“Don’t Stop” — Iamsu!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci_1Iy7ITC4